It’s curtains for Luke P. on “The Bachelorette,” as the Gainesville guy closes out his contentious time on the reality TV show.

But the saga continues with Luke P. as his family cries foul over what they say is bias against Luke because of his evangelical Christian beliefs.

In this episode, Shannon, Layne and Nick talk about what it’s been like to have a Gainesville resident in the national spotlight, how we’ve kept contact with the family and the family’s complaints about the show’s treatment of Luke.

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Talking to a local news reporter is an act of kindness under the best of circumstances.

People give up their time and take a risk, putting themselves in the spotlight, when they agree to take part in a story. In this episode, Times reporter Jeff Gill talks about the humbling experience of talking to the widow of Hall County Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon.

Stephanie Dixon took time away from mourning to spare a few words about her husband. Jeff and Nick talk about what it’s like to get in touch with a source under the worst circumstances and how to manage a delicate conversation.

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Hall County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Nicolas Blane Dixon was shot and killed after 11 p.m. Sunday, July 7, throwing local law enforcement into a scramble to find the suspects and sending the community reeling.

Dixon was the first Hall County deputy to be shot and killed on the job in almost 100 years.

He was pursuing suspects who fled from a stolen car he had attempted to stop on Sunday. The vehicle was connected to a series of burglaries over the previous several days.

Downtown Gainesville got an unwelcome surprise this month, when business owners discovered that one of their own had a dark past.

Endrick Torres-Ordonez, owner of Love is All You Knead, a sweet shop selling crepes, ice cream and doughnuts in Main Street Market, was convicted in 2013 of groping multiple underage girls while working as a camp counselor in New York state.

He was charged with forgery for using a false name on his business license and with operating a business within 1,000 feet of a location where children gather — a crime for sex offenders.

The revelations rattled other business owners in Main Street Market, who were unaware of Torres’ past until they received a tip over Facebook.

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Gainesville has had a rough couple of weeks. Downtown Gainesville’s Parkside project is dead and the Northeast Georgia Health System’s Heart Center lost a dozen critical cardiologists.

It was a busy start to June here at The Times, and the gang sits down to talk about how two big stories came together (and are still coming together).

Downtown Gainesville is still likely to get some kind of development on the fourth side of the square, but developers backing out of a plan to bring luxury condos to the square — some of the only full-time residences that would be available in the core of the city — is a major setback for what many see as economic revitalization coming to downtown.

Meanwhile, patients of the Northeast Georgia Health System got a shock this month when it was revealed 12 cardiologists, including the Heart Center director, were leaving for Northside Hospital.

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On Wednesday, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and an entourage that included former Gov. Nathan Deal sat down with the editorial board of The Times, intent on defending Ralston’s record as an attorney and lawmaker.

Ralston has been hit by controversy this year as an AJC investigation surfaced hundreds of instances in which Ralston has delayed cases for his clients using privileges granted to him as a leader in the Georgia House.

Ralston argues his actions were above board, including delays requested so Ralston could attend campaign fundraisers, while critics argue he’s abused his power on behalf of clients, some of whom say they're paying the speaker five-figure sums.

The investigation led The Times’ editorial board to call on Ralston to resign.

Read our coverage and watch video of the discussion between Ralston and the editorial board.

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On Thursday, Times reporter Nick Watson witnessed his second execution while on the job for the paper.

Watson, The Times’ criminal justice reporter, was present for the execution of Scotty Morrow in Jackson, Georgia. Morrow was sentenced to death for a double homicide committed in 1994 in Hall County.

In this episode, Nate McCullough, Nick Watson and Nick Bowman talk about what it’s like for news reporters to witness the death sentence being carried out, why reporters are present and what Nick has experienced while on the job.

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What started as a discussion about reporter Kelsey Richardson’s attempt at the Hall County Sheriff’s Office fitness test ended up with some unusual reminiscing this week.

Kelsey talked with Shannon and Nick about her day walking, running, punching and cuffing her way through the fitness test, which is used as a tool to not only ensure recruits are up for the job but to make sure existing employees are staying fit.

For deputies in Hall County, staying fit can mean the difference between life and death in more ways than one, as Gene Joy and John Thompson have discovered while on the job.

The stakes were much, much lower for Kelsey, who still managed to lose her lunch after the test — but she’s still in good enough shape to be one of Hall County’s next deputies.

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